Classical Acupuncture for Anxiety & Depression in San Diego
SAN DIEGO
A 1-on-1 investigative approach for people who have tried the normal options, but still don’t feel normal.
Complimentary 15-minute chat with Diego
Understand why you haven’t healed yet
Board Certified • Est. 2017 • Classical Lineage • Private 1-on-1 • 5.0★ (30+ Reviews)
Anxiety and Depression Aren't Just in Your Mind
They're held in your body. Classical Chinese Medicine understands what modern neuroscience is only beginning to discover: your emotional state is inseparable from your nervous system, sleep quality, digestive health, and the subtle patterns of how your body processes stress.
Gateway Acupuncture treats anxiety and depression by addressing where these patterns live in your body. Not just managing symptoms, but releasing the emotional holdings that create ongoing suffering and helping your system regain its natural capacity for resilience, rest, and emotional balance.
"Diego is an extraordinarily gifted practitioner. His generosity of spirit combined with technical expertise and depth of knowledge are a rare combination. He will stand with you all the way."
— Josie J.
How Emotions Get Stuck in the Body
In Classical Chinese Medicine, emotions aren't abstract psychological states. They're physiological events that move through specific pathways in the body. When you experience something difficult and don't fully process it, your body does something remarkable: instead of letting that energy sit in the organ channels and threaten vital organ function, it protects you by storing that unresolved emotional experience in more expendable tissue, your blood vessels.
This isn't metaphorical. The vessels that carry blood throughout your body also carry what Chinese medicine calls Shen, your spirit, consciousness, or emotional vitality. When life throws something at you that's too much to handle in the moment (a loss, a betrayal, prolonged stress, trauma), your body creates space to hold it, keeping your heart and vital organs clear so you can keep functioning.
Have you ever been in such grief that your digestion stops? So angry that your temperature rises rapidly and you could imagine a blood vessel bursting? So scared that your legs give out? Or on the positive side, so excited you feel butterflies in your stomach? Emotions need to be expressed. When they aren't, the body finds ways to manage them.
Most animals instinctively release intense emotions through physical movement. When ducks confront each other over territory, they flap their wings and quack loudly, then shake it off and move on. Dogs shake their entire body when they get too excited or worked up, releasing the charge. Humans are meant to do the same. Children do this naturally, crying, shaking, moving their bodies when overwhelmed. But somewhere after childhood, we learn to "regulate" ourselves, to hold still, to not make a scene. Many emotions get stuffed down instead of released, and your body is forced to create storage space for them in your blood vessels.
Your ability to store emotions in the blood has a limit unique to your physiology. Over time, as these holdings accumulate, they begin to affect how you feel, how you sleep, how your digestive system works, and how your nervous system responds to the world. What started as your body's intelligent protection mechanism can become chronic anxiety, depression, or the exhausting feeling of being stuck despite doing everything "right."
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Not all anxiety and depression are the same. Classical Chinese Medicine recognizes three distinct levels:
Environmental Mood: Sometimes you just feel off (anxious, irritable, sad) without knowing why. This is your body responding to something in your environment or energy field that you're sensing but not consciously aware of. It's acute, it comes and goes, and it doesn't have a clear target. You might say, "I just feel anxious today. I don't know why."
Acknowledged Emotion: This is when you can identify what you're feeling and why. "I'm anxious about this presentation." "I'm depressed because of this breakup." The emotion has a story, a reason, and you're aware of it. But awareness alone doesn't always resolve it. The feeling persists even when you understand it.
Constitutional Pattern: Some emotional tendencies run deeper. They're woven into your fundamental makeup, often shaped by early life experiences or inherited patterns. This is the person who says, "I've always been anxious," or "Depression runs in my family." These patterns feel like part of who you are, but they're actually longstanding holdings in your system that can be addressed.
Classical acupuncture treats all three levels, meeting you exactly where the emotional pattern lives in your body.
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Your body has an elegant system for managing stress and protecting your emotional well-being. In Chinese medicine, this is governed by what's called the Pericardium. This is not just the physical membrane around your heart, but an entire functional cardiovascular system that acts as your coping mechanism.
When functioning well, this system:
Manages stress before it overwhelms you
Processes emotions so they don't get stuck
Preserves your sanity during difficult times
Generates empathy and emotional intelligence
Uses rational thinking to make sense of feelings
Creates a narrative to place experiences, particularly hurtful ones, in context of your identity and belief system
But when life demands more than this system can handle (prolonged stress, trauma, grief, repeated disappointments, the chronic stimulation natural to modern life), this system begins to fail. Your coping mechanism becomes strained. Emotions that should flow through and resolve instead get stored in your blood vessels. Your nervous system gets stuck in fight-or-flight mode. Sleep becomes difficult. Digestion suffers. The rational mind can't overcome the feelings anymore.
This is when anxiety and depression take root. Not because something is wrong with you, but because your body's capacity to manage stress has been exceeded and it needs help restoring balance.
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Unlike approaches that treat anxiety and depression as isolated problems requiring symptom management, Classical Chinese Medicine asks: Why is this happening in the first place? What system in the body is strained?
The treatment approach depends on what we find:
If Your Nervous System Is Dysregulated
Stuck in fight-or-flight and unable to rest, we work to restore your body's ability to shift into parasympathetic mode (rest and digest). We recalibrate your baseline state so you're not constantly activated.
If Emotions Are Held in Your Blood Vessels
Unresolved grief, anger, fear, betrayal. We use specific techniques to release these holdings. Patients often describe emotional releases during treatment: crying without knowing why, sudden clarity about an old wound, old memories or images coming up, or the feeling that something heavy has lifted. Evidence of your body letting go of what it's been carrying.
If Your Constitution Is Depleted
Exhausted from managing stress for too long, we rebuild your foundational vitality before addressing the emotional patterns. You can't process difficult emotions when you're running on empty. Sometimes the most powerful intervention is simply restoring your capacity to handle the eventual release of what is holding you back.
If Stress Has Overwhelmed Your Coping System
The mechanism that should protect you from emotional overload. We work to restore that function so you can handle life's challenges without becoming overwhelmed or shutting down.
The treatment itself is remarkably simple: thin needles placed along specific pathways in your body, sometimes for just minutes, sometimes combined with other gentle techniques like cupping or moxa to release holdings. Many patients fall into deep, restorative sleep during treatment, the kind of sleep that's been elusive for months or years.
Learn More: The Classical View of Emotional Experience
The Physical Reality of Anxiety & Depression
Patients often notice that anxiety and depression don't just affect their mood. They affect everything:
Sleep becomes disrupted. You can't fall asleep because your mind won't stop, or you wake at 3am with your heart racing, or you sleep 10 hours and still feel exhausted. Sleep quality reflects nervous system dysregulation. Your body can't shift out of sympathetic activation (stimulated) mode into the deep rest (parasympathetic mode) needed for emotional restoration, what we often call "rest and digest."
Digestion changes. Anxiety creates bloating, loss of appetite, nausea, or urgent bowel movements. Depression brings constipation, heaviness after eating, or complete disinterest in food. The gut-brain connection isn't just a developing health niche. In Chinese medicine, digestive strength and emotional resilience are inseparable. When one suffers, so does the other.
Physical sensations appear. Tightness in your chest. Lump in your throat. Tension in your neck, between your shoulder blades, jaw. Restlessness in your legs. These aren't separate from your anxiety or depression. They're where the emotional pattern is living in your body, creating physical sensation as a signal that something needs to be addressed.
Energy and motivation disappear. Depression often manifests as profound fatigue, numbness, inability to feel pleasure, or the sense that even small tasks require enormous effort. This isn't laziness. It's constitutional depletion, your body's vitality drained by the ongoing internal work of attempting to manage unresolved emotions.
Classical acupuncture addresses all of these simultaneously because they're all expressions of the same underlying pattern.
What I See Often:
A patient came in for anxiety that had gotten worse over the past year. She'd tried therapy, medication adjustments, meditation apps. Nothing was touching it. She couldn't sleep, her digestion was a mess, and she had constant chest tightness.
During my assessment, I found her pulse showed stuck emotions in her blood vessels (what we call Luo Channel patterns) combined with severe nervous system dysregulation. When I asked about her timeline, she remembered her anxiety spiking after a relationship ended two years prior. She'd processed it in therapy, understood it logically, but her body was still holding the grief and betrayal.
What I did first: We started with calming her nervous system so she could sleep. Within three weeks, she was sleeping through the night for the first time in months. Then we began releasing the emotional holdings in her blood vessels using specific Luo Channel treatments.
What changed: During the fourth session, she had a good cry on the table, images and memories from the breakup surfacing without her trying to recall them. After that session, the chest tightness was gone. Her digestion normalized within two weeks. By month three, she told me she felt "lighter" than she had in years.
"Before meeting Diego in October 2023, I felt extremely stuck in my personal and professional life. Through this journey with Diego, I was able to start arranging these puzzle pieces and am FINALLY getting back into a state of flow. I have gained context and understanding of some core parts of my personality that I had been repressing."
— Erin M.
What Changes Look Like
The shifts are sometimes dramatic, but more often they are subtle, global, whole-system changes:
Phase 1: Sleep Improves
Most patients notice they're falling asleep more easily, sleeping more deeply, or waking feeling rested. This is the foundation. When your nervous system can finally downregulate, regeneration of resources becomes possible.
Phase 2: Emotional Reactivity Decreases
Your system doesn't respond the same way it used to the same triggers. There's space between the trigger and your reaction. You notice you're less overwhelmed and more present.
Phase 3: Physical Symptoms Resolve
The tightness in your chest eases. Digestion normalizes. The constant low-grade tension you didn't even realize you were carrying begins to release. These are signs that the underlying pattern is shifting.
Phase 4: Capacity Returns
This is what patients describe as "feeling like myself again." Motivation comes back. Small pleasures become enjoyable again. The fog lifts. You have energy to get through the day and actually engage with life.
Phase 5: Resilience Builds
This is the deeper work: over time we are increasing your capacity to handle future stress without getting stuck. Your system learns new patterns, how to process difficult emotions as they arise rather than storing them, how to recover from activation rather than staying locked in fight-or-flight.
Most patients notice some meaningful changes within 4-5 treatments. Deeper constitutional shifts (the kind that fundamentally change your baseline state) typically unfold over 2-3 months.
"The perspective changes I experience after sessions with Diego bring so much clarity and momentum to me achieving the vision I have for myself. Ultimately, you are your own source of healing and wisdom. My time with Diego has rapidly solidified this as concept that I can feel in my body."
— Kelly L.
Is This Approach Right for You?
This is a good fit if:
✓ You experience anxiety and depression alongside physical symptoms
✓ You've tried medication with limited results or unwanted side effects
✓ You want to reduce or discontinue psychiatric medication under medical supervision
✓ You feel stuck despite therapy, lifestyle changes, or other interventions
✓ Your anxiety or depression seems to come from nowhere, with no clear trigger
✓ You carry unresolved grief, trauma, or emotional patterns from the past
✓ Your mental health worsens during stress, hormonal changes, or seasonal shifts
✓ You want an approach that treats the whole person, not just the symptoms
This may not be the right fit if:
✗ You're currently in a mental health crisis (seek emergency care first)
✗ You're not willing to commit to weekly sessions for at least 4-6 weeks
✗ You're not open to the possibility of emotional releases during treatment
✗ You're looking for the cheapest option available
I work with people who are ready to address root causes, not just manage symptoms indefinitely. We work collaboratively with therapists, psychiatrists, and primary care providers. Acupuncture complements talk therapy and medication.
What I won't promise: I can't guarantee specific outcomes or timelines. Every body is different. If you're not seeing progress by 4-6 weeks, I'll tell you directly and we'll either adjust the approach or I'll refer you elsewhere.
Common Conditions Treated
Mental & Emotional:
Generalized anxiety disorder
Panic attacks
Social anxiety
Depression
Seasonal affective disorder
PTSD and trauma responses
Grief and loss
Related Physical Symptoms:
Insomnia and sleep disturbances
Digestive issues related to stress/anxiety
Chronic tension (chest, neck, jaw, shoulders)
Fatigue and low motivation
Hormonal mood changes (PMS, perimenopause)
If your condition isn't listed, reach out. Classical Acupuncture treats patterns at the channel level, regardless of the diagnostic label.
What Happens on Your First Visit
Before your first treatment : Complimentary fit call
10-15 minutes with me. We'll clarify your goals and whether this approach is right for you. If it's a fit, you'll leave with a recommended starting plan.
Your first session (80 minutes) includes:
✓ Comprehensive health history including your mental health journey, sleep patterns, digestive health, stress history, and what you've tried before
✓ Classical pulse and tongue diagnosis
✓ Assessment of where emotional patterns are living in your body
✓ Same-day treatment based on your specific pattern
✓ Personalized treatment plan (not a generic anxiety/depression protocol, but treatment specific to what your body needs)
✓ Discussion of what to expect as your nervous system shifts
One detail most patients don't expect: I'll ask about physical symptoms (digestion, sleep, chest tightness, jaw clenching) just as much as emotional symptoms. Most practitioners treat anxiety and depression as purely mental. I'm looking at how the emotional pattern is expressing physically in your body because that's where we can actually shift it.
Follow-up sessions (55 minutes):
✓ Channel-based treatment targeting nervous system regulation and emotional holdings
✓ Adjustments based on your body's response between sessions
✓ Ongoing support as emotional releases occur
✓ Spacing sessions out over time to encourage your body's independence
Most patients begin with weekly sessions. The first few treatments focus on calming your nervous system and improving sleep. As your system stabilizes, we address the underlying constitutional patterns and emotional holdings.
Your Investment in Health
I'm an out-of-network provider dedicated to premium, individualized care. This allows me to treat you based on what you need, not what an insurance adjuster dictates. I provide detailed superbills for insurance reimbursement.
Initial Intake & Treatment: $225 | 80 minutes. Comprehensive history, assessment & diagnosis, lifestyle evaluation, and your first full treatment.
Follow-Up Treatments: $180 | 55 minutes. Continued channel-based treatment, adjustments based on your response, ongoing guidance.
Treatment Plans: Most chronic conditions require a course of care for lasting resolution. We offer reduced rates for commitment packages (6 & 13 sessions) to support your healing journey.
Military & First Responders: 15% discount on all services
Payment: Cash, credit, HSA, FSA accepted
Insurance: We are an out-of-network provider. Detailed superbills provided for reimbursement.
Frequently Asked Questions
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A: For some people, acupuncture can reduce or eventually eliminate the need for medication, but this should always be done in collaboration with your prescribing physician, never on your own. Some patients use acupuncture to address symptoms medication doesn't fully resolve (sleep issues, emotional numbness, digestive side effects). Others are able to slowly taper medications under medical supervision as their nervous system regains natural regulation. We work with your care team, not against them.
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A: Most patients notice improvements in sleep quality, stress response, or physical symptoms within 2-4 weeks. Deeper shifts in mood, anxiety patterns, and emotional resilience typically develop over 2-3 months of weekly treatment. Constitutional patterns that have been present for years often require longer, but the changes tend to be lasting rather than temporary symptom relief.
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A: Classical acupuncture is more effective when we understand the connection between your mind's resistance and your symptoms. The treatment works on a physiological level by releasing emotional holdings from your blood vessels, shifting your nervous system, restoring your capacity to rest and digest. Many patients find emotional insights or releases happen naturally during or after treatment. We will never push you deeper or further than you are willing or ready to work.
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A: Excellent! Acupuncture and therapy work beautifully together. Therapy helps you understand reaction patterns and develop new ways of thinking and relating. Acupuncture helps your nervous system and body support those changes rather than fighting against them. Many therapists refer clients for acupuncture because they recognize that insight alone often isn't enough and the body needs to shift too.
Ready to Address What's Holding You Back?
Don't spend another month managing symptoms. Let's investigate what your body has been storing.
Schedule a complimentary fit call:
✓ 10-15 minutes with Diego
✓ Discuss your health timeline and goals
✓ Determine if this approach is right for you
✓ If it's a fit, you'll leave with a recommended starting plan
Gateway Acupuncture & Wellness
Diego García, L.Ac.
3636 5th Ave, Suite 101
San Diego, CA 92103
Hours: Mon-Fri 9-6 PM & Sun 11-3 PM
Call on Mobile: (619) 289-9336
Email: Diego@gatewayacu.com
Serving: Mission Hills, Mission Valley, Hillcrest, North & South Park, Golden Hill, Normal Heights, Kensington, University Heights, Bankers Hill, Downtown San Diego, La Jolla, Del Mar, and nearby communities.
Written By: Diego Garcia, L.Ac.